The Murder of Anna Maria

In 1858, in the isolated village of Simonsbath on Exmoor, the death of a six-year-old child by her father's hand shocked the small community.

The story of Anna Maria Burgess and the Wheal Eliza mine has since taken its place among the myths and legends of Exmoor.

The story has been told many times and, as with any story that has been told and retold as this one has been over the years, there are conflicting accounts and differences of opinion. So what really happened? What is the true version?

With the help of parish records, newspaper archives, contemporary reports of the murder and of the trial, and Ancestry.com, I have tried to piece together an accurate picture of the events that led to the deaths of Anna Maria and of William Burgess.